Artist: Bloom
New Orleans, LA
Bloom is an experimental documentary that follows three prominent women of the New Orleans Baby Doll masking tradition. The New Orleans Baby Doll maskers are a pivotal yet overshadowed tradition of Black Mardi Gras that stemmed from Storyville, the former vice district in New Orleans, in the early 19th century. Cinnamon Black, Merline Kimble and Shannon Paxton of the Mardi Gras tradition paint a full picture of masking culture and how it operates as a vehicle for women to redefine notions of gender, sexual identity and freedom.
Award Amount: $5000